Printing device



Feb. 24, 1925. r E. R. RODRIGUEZ PRINTING DEVICE Original Filed May 22, 1923 2 sheets sheet 1 ATTORNEYS Feb. 24. 1925.

E. R. RODRIGUEZ PRINTINGIDEVICE Original Filed May 22, 1923 ZSheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR iq p A TTORNEYS Patented Feb. 24, 1925.

UNITED STATES EDMUND R. RODRIGUEZ, 01* NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO AUTO MARK CORPORA- TION, NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

PRINTING nnvrcn.

Application filed May 22, 1923, Serial No. 640,760. Renewed September 24, 1924.

To all whom/it may concern:

'Be it known that I, EDMUND R. Ronni- GUEZ, a citizen of the Republic of Mexico, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented 'a' new I and Improved Printing Device, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. I

This invention relates to improvements in printing devices, and has particular reference to a hand stamp for marking curved and fiat surfaces.

An object of the invention is to provide a printing device so constructed that the same may be used with equal facility in plainly marking various kinds of shipping packages such as barrels, bags and bales having curved or fiat surfaces.

Another object is the provision of a flexible type carrying member which will conform to the contour of a curved surface to be printed when pressure is brought to bear on said member, and which may be rigidly supported to limit the flexibility thereof when a plane surface is to be printed.

The above and other objects will appear more clearly from the following detail description, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the inventive idea.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device, partly broken away and shown'in section;

Figure 2 is a sectional plan view on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view;

Figure 4 is a sectional view on the line 44 of Figure 1; and

Figure 5 is a perspective view illustrating the use of the invention. 7

It has heretofore been customary to employ stencils for marking various receptacles for shipment, but it has been found that this practice entails considerable loss of time and the letters are not always entirely clear. 7

The present invention is designed for the purpose of overcoming this difficulty and in the embodiment shown, comprises a frame including a base plate 6 made of any suitablematerial, to the ends of which are secured the laterally extending end members 7. The base plate 6 is provided with a handle 8, which is employed as illustrated in Figure 5 to applv the device to a surface to be printed and to exert the necessary pressure thereon in order that the printed characters will be clearly legible.

Associated with the frame is a flexible type carrying member 9, preferably made of rubber having a certain degree of resiliency, and provided upon its outer sur face with a plurality of longitudinally extending channels 10 open at each end to permit of the insertion of type therein. Each channel 10 is provided with oppositely disposed and longitudinally extending ribs 11 adapted to engage in corresponding grooves 12 formed in the blocks of type 13 having various characters thereon and which are also preferably made of rubber. The member 9 is preferably connected at each end to one of the end members 7 by means of a hinge 14, one leaf of which is secured to the end member, while the other is secured to the member'9 by any suitable fastening devices 15. Each hinge 14 includes a coil spring 16 designed to normally maintain the leaves of the hinge in the position illustrated in Figure 1, but permits of an inward movement of the leaf of the hinge to which the member 9 is connected when said member is flexed inwardly upon engagement. with a curved surface and pressure is applied to the handle 8. In order that the member 9 may be yieldingly maintained in itsnormal flat condition so as tofacilitate the insertion of the blocks of type into the channels 10 and permit of the type being inked, a coil spring 17 is. interposed between the base plate 6 and an intermediate portion of the member 9 so as to extend longitudinally of the handle 8 and in direct alignment therewith. This spring is also utilized, in conjunction with the coil springs 16, to restore the member 9 to its normal condition. It is obvious from the foregoing description that when the necessary type has been set up in the various channels 10 and the device applied to a curved surface, as illustrated in Figure 5, the pressure exerted upon the device through the handle 8 will cause a flexing of the member 9 inwardly against the tension of the springs 16 and 17 so that all of the type carried by said member will be caused to contact the surface to be printed.

When applying the device to a plane or fiat surface it is desirable to impart to the member 9 a certain degree of rigidity so that when pressure is exerted upon the device through the handle 8 the said member will be prevented from flexing, particularly at its intermediate portion, in order that a uniform printing of the characters on the surface is obtained. In order to accomplish this purpose, use is preferably made of a pair of stop pins 18 extending through suit able openings formed in the base plate 6 on opposite sides of the handle 8 and adjustable in said openings so that adjacent ends of the pins may be engaged with the intermediate portion of the flexible member 9 on opposite sides of the spring 17. When so engaged the pins 18 are held in this position to prevent inward movement of the member 9 with respect to the frame by means of a latching plate 19 slidably mounted upon the baseplate 6 and provided at one end with a recess 20 forreceiving the handle 8, said recess forming the portions 21, the outer edges of which engage in transverse notches 22 in the pins 18. When so engaged it will be apparent that movement of the pins 18 relative to the base plate 6 is prevented and hence when pressure is exerted upon the handle 8, said pins will maintain the flexible member 9 in its normal flat condition; When it is again desired to permit of the member 9 being fleXed the latching plate 19 may be moved longitudinally of the base plate 6 to disengage the portions 21 from the notches 22 in the pins 18, whereupon these pins may be withdrawn to the position illustrated in Figures 1 and 4 with the notches therein coinciding with the outer surface of the base plate 6. The plate 19 may then be adjusted in an opposite direction toward the handle 8 until'the portions 21 thereof are ei'igaged with thenotches23 whereupon the pins 18 will be supported in their inoperativepositions and at the same time be prevented from any longitudinal movement with respect to the handle 8.

hat is claimed is:

1. In a printing device, a frame, a handle therefor, a ,fiexi'ble type carrying member supported by said frame, and means extending longitudinally of and in alignment with said handle for restoring said member to its normal condition after being flexed and for yieldingly maintaining it in such position.

2. In a printing device, a frame, a handle therefor, a flexible type carrying member hingedly connected at its ends to said frame, and a resilient member interposed between a portion of said frame and said flexible member in alignment with said handle and extending longitudinally thereof for yieldingly maintaining said flexible member in a normal fiat position and for restoring said member to said position after the same is flexed.

3. In a printing device, a frame, a handle therefor, a flexible type carrying member supported by said frame, means engaging an intermediate portion of said member for restoring the same to its normal condition after being flexed and for yieldingly maintaining it in such position, and stop pins slidab-le through said frame and longitudinally in said handle and adjustable into and out of engagement with said flexible member for imparting a degree of rigidity thereto when engaged therewith.

4. In a printing device, a frame, a handle therefor, a flexible type carrying member supported by said frame, means engaging an inte mediate portion of said member for restoring the same to its normal position after being flexed and for yie-ldingly maintaining it in such position, stop pins arranged on opposite sides of said handle and slidable through said frame and adjustable into and out of engagen'ient with said flexible member for inuparting a degree of rigidity thereto when engaged therewith, and a latching element slidab'le on said frame and movable into engage'ment with 1 said" stop pins to maintain the same in their adjusted positions.

EDMUND R. RODRIGUEZ. 

